Immediate Family

About Helen Day Miller

Birth: Sep. 20, 1838 Manhattan New York County New York, USA Death: Jan. 13, 1889 Manhattan New York County New York, USA

Helen Day Miller (1838-1889) Wife of Jay Gould the Financial Speculator (b. September 20, 1838, New York City, New York, USA - d. January 13, 1889, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA) Helen was born in 1838 to Daniel S. Miller and Ann Kip Bailey. She married Jay Gould (1836-1892) on January 22, 1863 in New York City. This biography is from "The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans" edited by Rossiter Johnson: "Helen Miller Gould, philanthropist, was born in New York city, June 20, 1868; daughter of Jay and Helen Day (Miller) Gould, and granddaughter of John Burr and Mary (More) Gould. She was educated by private instructors and took a course at the New York law university in order to have a better knowledge of the details of business. During the later years of her father's life she acted as his amanuensis, and after his death in 1892 she personally managed her inherited fortune of about $20,000,000. She made her summer home at Irvington-on-the-Hudson, N.Y., and devoted the greater part of her time to charitable work. The following is a partial list of her more important gifts for charitable and educational purposes: $250,000 to the University of the city of New York in 1895 for a library building, and $60,000 in 1898 to defray the additional cost of the library; two scholarships in the University of the city of New York endowed with $5000 each, 1895; a gift to the St. Louis cyclone sufferers of $100,000, 1896; a gift to Vassar college of $8000, 1896; the sum of $100,000 given to the U.S. government for war purposes in 1898, and $25,000 for the relief of soldiers, at Camp Wyckoff, Long Island, 1898; Rutgers college, $10,000, 1898; Engineering school, University of the city of New York, $10,000, 1898; Mr. Holyoke college, $5000, 1898; Naval branch Y.M.C.A. Brooklyn, N.Y., $400,000, 1901; Woody Crest, a home for crippled children; a Presbyterian church at a cost of $150,000, a memorial to her father at Roxbury, N.Y.; and $250,000 in 1900 to build 'The Hall of Fame for Great Americans' in connection with the New York University College of Arts and Science, New York City." In 1880 Jay and Helen were living in Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York with their 7 children and 11 servants and appear in the census.